By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Illinois and Wisconsin

The Class of 2016 Top Prospect Games on July 23-24 featured many of the top rising sophomores from Illinois and Wisconsin at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s pristine Les Miller Field. Over the course of the two-day, invitation-only event, many players emerged as high-interest prospects.

The event featured plenty of outfield talent. Three players in particular emerged from the pack: Cyrillo Watson (South Milwaukee HS, WI), Dominic Clementi (Hartland Arrowhead HS, WI) and Josh Shaw (Morgan Park HS, IL). Shaw earned Most Outstanding Player honors after he collected five hits in three games and showed impressive athleticism in the outfield. Drew DeMumbrum (Plainfield East HS, IL), who looks to be a primary pitcher after his performance, showed natural outfield instincts and a relaxed left-handed approach at the plate.

Complete analysis of the outfielders at the Class of 2016 Top Prospect Games:

Dillan Chamness, OF/RHP, Benton, 2016
Left-handed hitting 5-foot-5, 160-pound two-way player. On the mound, Chamness showed some rhythm in his delivery throwing from a ¾ slot. His fastball sat 70-73 mph with slight run. He located his slider which had slight 10/4 action ranging 58-63 mph. 59-60 mph curveball with 11/5 break. Offensively recorded a pair of hits (one double) through two games. Showed well in BP with opposite field line-drive consistency. Has a simple swing and throws his hands at the ball creating a short path – exit velocity registering 66 mph. Defensively plays through the ball athletically with a clean exchange – arm plays at 73 mph from the outfield.

Dominic Clementi, OF, Arrowhead (WI), 2016
Athletic build, lanky frame, 6-foot-1, 170-pounds, projectable frame. Offensively hits from a slightly open stance, short stride. Active lower half, solid balance. Advanced bat speed, creates bat lag, whip through the zone. Short path, slightly uphill, occasional gap to gap approach. High level defender in the outfield, plays through the ball aggressively, clean exchange. Plus arm from the outfield, loose arm action, over the top slot, carries well, 88 mph from the outfield. Clementi is one of the top outfield defenders in his class, showed excellent range. High level bat speed, showed the ability to hit at a consistent rate.

Drew DeMumbrum, OF/LHP, Plainfield East (IL), 2016
High level athlete, multi-faceted game, 5-foot-10, 160-pound left handed two-way player. DeMumbrum is a high level athlete who has a knack for the game. Plays at an easy pace, highly productive, dynamic. On the mound his delivery is clean and athletic, smooth up tempo delivery, regular to easy effort. Arm action is loose, shows quick arm action from a high ¾ slot. Fastball flashed sink at 77-79 mph while showing control of the strike zone. Breaking ball works on 11/5 plane, flashing sweeping action, slurve feel, 66-67 mph. Defensively shows excellent actions in the outfield, natural reactions, showed excellent hands. Arm action is long and over the top, showed excellent accuracy with occasional carry, 80 mph arm strength from the outfield. Hits from the left side, slightly open stance, short stride. Quiet simple approach, high contact hitter, bat path is short and quick to the baseball. Shows excellent foot speed getting out of the box, 4.11 down the line. DeMumbrum proved to be one of the bigger sleepers of the event, he showed that he can play at a high level with high level competition.

Jeremy Gaines, OF, Oak Park-River Forest, 2016
Gaines recorded three hits, frequently making hard contact throughout two Top Prospect Games. Has a small, athletic 5-foot-7, 145-pound build and runs well (4.33 home-to-first). Showed a smooth swing with good mechanics at the plate and bat speed, a level path, and balance (79 mph exit off the tee). Gaines has the potential to drive the gaps as he fills out. He displayed overall athleticism defensively in the outfield, throwing 77 mph from the outfield with some carry. Additionally, Gaines made one of the more instinctual plays of the event covering first from right-field on a rundown. Gaines is a prospect to follow as he develops.

Austin Galindo, OF/RHP, Normal, 2016
Strong, projectable 6-foot-5, 215-pound raw two-way player. His arm plays at 84 mph from the outfield and displayed solid in-game defensive abilities, showing off some range and athleticism. Recorded a pair of hard hits through two games at the event (one triple). He showed juice in his bat in-game and during BP but could improve consistency. Galindo ran a 4.54 home-to-first. Drop-and-drive delivery on the mound, landing open releasing from a high ¾ angle. His fastball flashed occasional sink and run ranging 77-83 mph. Gradual break on his 11/5 curveball at 64-68 mph. He could become more effective with his backside coming through. Overall Galindo is a raw athlete and a prospect to follow.

Justin Kendall, OF, Holmen (WI), 2016
Small frame, 5-foot-7, 140-pounds, athletic build. Kendall is another interesting prospect in Wisconsin’s 2016 class with good bloodlines, father (Jeremy) played professionally, older brother (Jeren) is one of the top 2014 graduates in the country. Justin’s game is similar to that of his father and older brother, plays the game at a fast pace with a highly advanced mechanical skill set and high baseball IQ. Defensively Justin shows some of the more natural outfield actions in the class. Footwork is quick and fluid, plays the baseball well with a quick clean exchange, excellent crowhop and transfer. Traditional outfield arm action, loose, over the top showing accuracy and carry, 77 mph arm strength from the outfield. At the plate hits from both sides, open stance, smooth load and short stride, athletic setup. Bat control type hitter, simple approach taking the barrel to the baseball. Line drive type hitter from both sides of the plate, high contact guy.

Thomas Kenney, OF/LHP, Mahomet Seymour (IL), 2016
Average frame, strong build, 5-foot-11, 170-pound two way player. Defensively showed some of the better outfield actions at the event. Played through the ball well, clean exchange, quick fluid footwork, played the position with natural instincts. Arm played well, 77 mph from the outfield, long loose action, over the top slot with accuracy and carry. Hits from the left side, balanced setup, short stride. Short bat path, downhill path, makes hard contact. Got two hits and an RBI, solid in game approach. On the mound showed a clean arm action, high ¾ arm slot, loose action occasional quickness, little effort. Fastball showed run and sink to his arm side, 73-75 mph, touched 76 mph. Curveball worked on 11/5 plane, fastball similar arm action, 60-63 mph. Flashed a change up at 63-67 mph.

Connor Kimple, OF, Marquette University (WI), 2016
Strong build, 6-foot-2, 185-pound outfielder, developed frame. Defensively showed solid actions in the outfield, played through the ball well, footwork sets himself up, clean exchange. Arm plays well from the outfield, long arm action, plays accurately and with carry, 78 mph arm strength, arm plays better than velocity suggests. Offensively showed a highly repeatable approach, wide stance, smooth load, short stride, excellent balance through contact. Bat speed present, 85 mph exit velocity, made hard contact in both of his rounds of BP. Path is short to the baseball and stays flat through the zone at contact with extension. Line drive gap to gap hitter.

Keaton Knueppel, LHP/OF, Verona Area (WI), 2016
5-foot-11, 165-pound two-way player is highly projectable on the mound. Left-handed thrower has feel for all three pitches and utilized each effectively in his outing in the Top Prospect Games. Knueppel has clean, repeatable mechanics with an effortless tall-and-fall delivery. He has a high balance point and lands closed, finishing athletically. His arm works well with loose high ¾ action. Knueppel showed control of his fastball at 77-80 mph featuring occasional cut. His curveball had pronounced 11/5 break at 68-71 mph with control and his changeup sat 72-73 mph. Offensively, hits from the left side recording four hits in six at-bats through two of the Top Prospect Games – one well-placed bunt for a hit, two doubles, three RBI (one of which late in a tie game). From the outfield his arm showed some carry at 77 mph with accuracy, fielding through the ball. Knueppel is a high prospect to follow as he continues to mature.

Joshua Shaw, INF/OF, Morgan Park (IL), 2016
Lanky frame, 6-foot-1, 175-pound multi positional player, projectable frame. Shaw is one of the more productive athletes in the class. Shaw showed a knack for making the big plays with a competitive mentality. Defensively showed well on the infield, advanced infield actions with fluid footwork, above average range, long strided athlete. Arm plays well with a short over the top slot, showed accuracy and carry across the diamond at 76 mph. Hits from a tall setup, smooth load and short stride, athletic pre pitch routine. Well above average bat speed, short path with extension, line drive type hitter, creates barrel whip. Shaw is a gamer and shows a flair for the dramatic. In game play Shaw went 5-for-8 with a triple and an RBI while making several highlight plays in the field. Watch out for Joshua Shaw in the Class of 2016.

Noah Vallette, OF/RHP, Harrisburg, 2016
Vallette is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound two-way player. Tall-and-fall delivery on the mound with some rhythm and longer, high ¾ arm action. Had control of his fastball at 77-79 mph with some sink. His 11/5 curveball has depth ranging 64-69 mph. Defensively Vallette showed a quick release at 80 mph from the outfield with accuracy. Sets up in a balanced stance at the plate with a minimal stride maintaining balance throughout the swing – recorded a 77 mph exit velocity.

T.D. Walker, OF, Milwaukee Lutheran (WI), 2016
6-foot, 160-pound outfielder, athletic build with a lanky frame. Offensively hits from a balanced stance, short stride, lower half works well. Stays flat through the zone, creates barrel whip, level path, gets extension through contact, gap to gap type hitter. Defensively plays through the baseball athletically, fluid footwork, showed the ability to back on the baseball at a high level. Traditional outfield arm action, over the top, loose arm, shows some carry, 81 mph from the outfield. Walker also showed above average foot speed getting down the line at 4.44.

Cyrillo Watson, OF, South Milwaukee (WI), 2016
Strong build with advanced athleticism, long limbed, wide shoulders, 6-foot, 175-pound outfielder. Watson possesses a plus arm from the outfield, clocked at 87 mph (we’ve seen him at 90 mph at an earlier event). Arm shows carry, over the top slot, long arm action, plays well off the turf. Footwork plays well through the baseball, clean exchange. Hits from a balanced stance, smooth load, short stride. Highly active lower half, solid balance through finish. Barrel head showed whip through the zone, found the barrel with regularity, hard contact. Gap to gap, sound approach, excellent bat speed. Finished with three hits and a double in game play.

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